ACC Membership Drive - Cold Call Script

March 7, 2017

Hello Mr./Ms. [NAME], my name is [NAME]. I am a fellow in-house counsel and member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, and am calling you on the ACC’s behalf because we are looking to expand our outreach and membership in Alberta. I’d like to tell you about how joining the ACC can provide value to you and [COMPANY’S] legal team. Do you have a few minutes?

If NO: Okay, I appreciate that you are very busy and I apologize for the interruption. Would it be okay if I emailed you some information about the ACC and ACC events, and then you can reach out if you have questions?

If YES:Great. Can I get your email address please?To confirm, your email address is [READ EMAIL ADDRESS]? Thank you for your time Mr./Ms. [NAME]. Have a great rest of your day.

If NO:Thank you for your time Mr./Ms. [NAME]. Have a great day.

If YES: The ACC currently has 40,000 members worldwide. The ACC’s Alberta chapter was formed in 2015 and currently has just over 200 members. We are looking to grow our membership. Some of the benefits of membership in the ACC include (choose benefits relevant to the operations/industry/level of person you are speaking with):

  1. Access to templates, infopaks, articles that may give you your answer or at least give you context (both will inevitably save at least the cost of membership in outside counsel fees.)
  2. Access to Canadian material, US material, global material and cross border issues. Most in-house roles have cross-border aspects.
  3. Access to peer-to-peer forums where questions can be posted, anonymously if preferred. I have used this recently and have made great connections.
  4. Cost of membership can be deducted from attendance at the ACC Annual Meeting or sometimes local ACC educational meetings. These are invaluable for continuing legal education and networking.
  5. Membership shows to your employer and prospective employers that you are connected, have context and a broader view of what is happening in your industry.
  6. Issue research = save $ on external fees. I find that I use ACC a lot to do background reading on a new issue to determine (1) whether the issue is relevant to our business, (2) whether it is relevant enough to warrant getting external counsel involved, and (3) informs the particular questions to ask external. This helps to reduce external costs.
  7. The precedents/contracts portal
  8. Cross-border (Canada-U.S.) and global content
  9. News alerts / committee meetings / webinars keep me updated on new and emerging issues that I/my board needs to be aware of
  10. Content of webinars cuts across many industries and covers a wide range of topics
  11. Social events – meet more of your in-house peers

Are you/would your department be interested in becoming a member?

If YES: Great! The cost to join the ACC is normally $335 US for an individual membership. However, we are currently having a membership drive and until April 21st, we are offering individual memberships at par with the US dollar. Instead of $350 US, you will be charged $250. Would you be interested in purchasing a membership at the discounted rate before the April 21st deadline? If so, I can give you the discount code ACCAL.Link for membership:

May I email you the membership information? To confirm, your email address is [EMAIL ADDRESS]? Please feel free to reach out to our Chapter Director, Heather MacKay at with any questions regarding the enrollment process. I look forward to seeing you at future ACC events. Have a great day.

If MAYBE/NONCOMMITTAL:In the meantime, may I send you a follow-up email with some additional information regarding membership, and may I add you to the ACC email list so that you can see the programs and events that we have to offer? For example, we have coming up: Ethics with the Law Society of Alberta, Contract Negotiations, A Night at the Museum social and Metrics, Would you be interested in attending any of these events? What other types of events would you be interested in attending? Great, thank you. To confirm, your email address is [EMAIL ADDRESS]? Thank you for your time. Have a great day.

If NO:Thank you for taking the time to hear about the benefits of the ACC. Have a great rest of your day.